- Author: William Loyko Jr.
- Contributor: Jim and Sue Farr
What do you do with all those Lemons? Try Salt Preserved Lemons!
What to do with all of those lemons? It's that time of the year when lemon trees are loaded with juicy, yellow fruit. If you have one of those trees (or a neighbor or a friend has), then you know it can be a challenge to use those lemons before they go bad. One of the oldest and simplest ways to preserve some of those lemons for future use is making traditional salt preserved lemons. 
The San Joaquin Master Food Preservers are having a webinar workshop on Saturday February 20th. One of the recipes being presented is salt preserved lemons. See the San Joaquin Master Food Preserver Website for a link to register:
https://ucanr.edu/sites/NSJMFP/?newsletteritem=88317
Making Preserved lemons is easy but you need to know what to do with them when they are ready to eat. Don't make the mistake of taking out a section from the jar and popping it into your mouth. You will most likely spit it out and remember that extremely salty and sour experience for the rest of your life.
The only part that goes into recipes is the pickled rind. First, pull or scrape off any seeds and all of the pulp from the rind, then thoroughly rinse the rind in cold running water. Now it is ready to be used in a variety of recipes. It will add some saltiness but the bitterness will be gone, the tartness decreased and the lemon essence made more intense.
We found many recipes on the Internet that use preserved lemon. You will find links to those articles below but we would like to give you a few ideas to get you inspired:
- Add to grain salads
- Spice up roasted vegetables
- Mix into lentils
- Season poultry and fish recipes
- Use in soups and stews
- Add a unique zing to condiments and give dressings a kick
- Use in beverages and cocktails to “raise the bar”
- “lemonize” jams and desserts to make a special treat.
Link to more ideas and recipes: https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-to-do-with-preserved-lemon-1327922
Salt preserved lemons is a simple and inexpensive way to preserve some of those excess lemons and provide you with a unique ingredient to spice up beverages and meals.
Look in the blog after the Saturday Workshop for the full recipes that will be demonstrated in the workshop.
2022 MFP Training Dates.2
- Author: Marcy Sousa
1. Store Turkey Properly
- Frozen raw turkey should be stored in the freezer until you are ready to thaw it. Make sure your freezer is at 0?F or below. Don't store a turkey in a place where you can't closely monitor the temperature, such as in a car trunk, a basement, the back porch, or in snow.
- Fresh raw turkey can be stored in the refrigerator 1–2 days before cooking.
2. Thaw Turkey Safely
Use one of these methods to thaw your turkey:
- Thaw your turkey in the refrigerator.
- Keep your turkey in its original wrapping and place it in a container before putting it in the refrigerator. The container will prevent the turkey's juice from dripping on other food.
- Allow about 24 hours of thawing for each 4 to 5 pounds of turkey.
- A turkey thawed in the refrigerator can remain in the refrigerator for 1–2 days before cooking.
- Thaw your turkey in cold water.
- Be sure your turkey is in a leak-proof plastic bag before you place it in the sink. The bag will prevent the turkey's juice from spreading in the kitchen. It will also prevent the turkey from absorbing water, which can make your cooked turkey runny.
- Make sure your turkey is fully covered with the cold tap water.
- Change the water every 30 minutes.
- Allow about 30 minutes of thawing for each pound of turkey.
- A turkey thawed in cold water must be cooked immediately after thawing.
- Thaw your turkey in the microwave.
- Follow the microwave manufacturer's instructions for thawing turkeys.
- A turkey thawed in the microwave must be cooked immediately after thawing.
- Never thaw your turkey by leaving it out on the counter. A turkey must thaw at a safe temperature. When a turkey stays out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, its temperature becomes unsafe even if the center is still frozen. Germs can grow rapidly in the “danger zone” between 40°F and 140°F.
3. Handle Turkey Correctly to Prevent the Spread of Germs
Raw turkey and its juice can contaminate anything they touch. Be sure to handle your turkey correctly to prevent harmful germs from spreading to your food, family, and friends.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after handling turkey.
- Use a separate cutting board for raw turkey.
- Never place cooked food or fresh produce on a plate, cutting board, or other surface that held raw turkey.
- Wash cutting boards, utensils, dishes, and countertops with hot soapy water after preparing raw turkey and before you prepare the next item.
- Do not wash or rinse raw turkey. Washing your turkey can make you and your family sick. Poultry juices can spread in the kitchen and contaminate other foods, utensils, and countertops.
4. Cook Stuffing Thoroughly
It's safest to cook stuffing in a casserole dish instead of inside your turkey. Cooking stuffing in a casserole dish makes it easy to be sure the stuffing is thoroughly cooked. If you do cook stuffing in the turkey, put the stuffing in the turkey just before cooking.
With either cooking method, use a food thermometer to make sure the stuffing's center reaches 165°F. Germs can survive in stuffing that has not reached 165°F. If you cooked the stuffing in your turkey, wait 20 minutes after taking the bird out of the oven before removing the stuffing.
5. Cook Turkey Thoroughly
To roast a turkey in your oven, set the oven temperature to at least 325°F. Place the completely thawed turkey in a roasting pan that is 2 to 2-1/2 inches deep. Cooking times depend on the weight of the turkey and whether it is stuffed.
Use a food thermometer to make sure the turkey has reached a safe minimum cooking temperature of 165°F. Check by inserting a food thermometer into the center of the stuffing and the thickest part of the breast, thigh, and wing. Even if your turkey has a pop-up timer, you should still use a food thermometer to check that it is safely cooked. Let the turkey stand 20 minutes before removing all stuffing from the cavity and carving the meat. This will let the stuffing cook a little longer and make the turkey easier to carve.
If you are cooking your turkey using another method, such as smoking or frying it, or roasting a turkey that is not fully thawed, follow these guidelines for cooking your bird safely.
Learn more about safe minimum cooking temperatures for other foods and how to use a food thermometer.
6. Take Care of Leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers at 40°F or colder within 2 hours of serving to prevent food poisoning. Slice or divide big cuts of meat, such as a roast turkey, into small quantities for refrigeration so they can cool quickly. Reheat all leftovers to at least 165°F before serving.
Cooked turkey and dishes made with turkey, such as a casserole, can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or can be frozen to store longer.
Always refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, or 1 hour if exposed to temperatures above 90°F (like a hot car or picnic).
This blog was copied from the FoodSafety.gov website: Preparing Your Holiday Turkey Safely | FoodSafety.gov
- Author: Marcy Sousa
- Author: Marcy Sousa
Tis the Season for Cranberries
Join the San Joaquin UC Master Food Preservers on
Saturday, November 20th at 10:00 am on Zoom
Advance registration is required.
Bright and tart cranberries bring beauty and flavor to all of your holiday feasts and leftovers. Join us for a how to presentation on making cranberry chutney. Additional cranberry recipes will be available to all who register.
Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
- Author: Marcy Sousa
Become a UC Master Food Preserver!
The UC Master Food Preserver Program is open to individuals looking to increase community knowledge in home food preservation methods. Applicants for the UC Master Food Preserver Program must be willing to share knowledge and skills learned from certification training through local community outreach. Prior food preservation knowledge is not a requirement; willingness to teach others is. This program is open to residents of San Joaquin County.
The training will begin in February, 2022. For more information about the training class dates and program and to download the application, please visit our website. 2022 UC Master Food Preserver Training
Application 2022
